Superintendents from 12 public school districts in and near the Fox Cities sent a letter to local lawmakers last week asking for "policies and the funding support necessary to maintain and improve our already excellent schools."

Appleton Supt. Lee Allinger said the administrators sent the letter to make sure legislators know how they feel about Gov. Scott Walker's 2015-17 budget proposal and the proposed school accountability measures.

"There are some very key educational policy decisions that we address in the letter that are part of the budget proposal, as well as the funding side of things … Although we all have different school districts, we're all working PreK-12 — it impacts all of us," Allinger said.

In addition to Allinger, superintendents from Neenah, Menasha, Oshkosh, New London, Hortonville, Shiocton, Seymour, Kimberly, Little Chute, Kaukauna and Freedom signed the letter.

The administrators directly target what they see as a lack of funding support. The proposed state budget maintains revenue limits, which is the amount of money schools receive through property taxes.

Furthermore, districts will lose a one-time categorical aid for each student in their schools during the first year of the biennium. Schools would see a small increase in per pupil categorical aid in the second year of the budget, but not enough to cover the losses during the first year, according to the budget document. Reductions in 2015-16 will range from $245,250 in Freedom to $2.2 million in Appleton, the letter states.

The educators said funding restrictions will "make it impossible to pay normal operating cost increases without directly impacting" programs offered to students and families.

Assembly Majority Leader Rep. Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, said he received the letter and has heard similar things from educators since the budget proposal was released. He wants to find more money in the budget for schools, he said.

"I agree with them. I think … that first year dip in revenue toward public schools is problematic," Steineke said. "I don't see how schools can sustain that, so hopefully we'll be able to address that with some changes in the coming months."

Rep. Amanda Stuck, D-Appleton, said funding public schools should be the Legislature's "top priority."

"I am glad that this diverse group of school leaders from across the Fox Valley has reached out to legislators on this important issue. Because while the Legislature makes the decisions about how to fund public schools, it is the administrators that receive the calls from upset parents asking why programs are being cut," Stuck said in an email to Post-Crescent Media.

Policy questions

The administrators specifically advocate for one assessment system, as is currently the practice. Proposed legislation would allow schools to give different tests than the ones selected by the state Department of Public Instruction.

Currently elementary and middle school students take the Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination in science and social studies and the Badger Exam in math and English Language Arts. High school students take exams in the ACT family — there are specific tests based on grade level.

The DPI would have to select three alternatives that can be compared against each other, according to an amendment introduced last week.

Using data from different tests "will create confusion, and not allow for relevant comparability," the administrators wrote. "We must be accountable. One system will accomplish this."

The administrators also oppose the expansion of taxpayer-subsidized vouchers and the proposed letter grade format for School Report Cards.

Steineke and Stuck shared their views on the legislation with Post-Crescent Media recently.

Steineke said letter grades don't matter much to him, but holding schools accountable does. Categorizing the schools doesn't do any good if lawmakers don't put provisions in place to help failing schools turn around, he said.

Letter grades won't inform the public accurately of a school's progress, Stuck said. Furthermore, they fail to measure the full depth of obstacles schools face, and should therefore "be used to determine where and how we can improve, not as a threat or a scare tactic."

Here to help

Allinger said legislators whose districts fall in the Appleton Area School District have visited schools and talked with leaders. The administrators just want to make sure the lawmakers utilize them as a resource moving forward.

"There is so much on our legislators' plates, whether it's transportation, health care or education," Allinger said. "They can't be experts at everything, and certainly they have resources and we want to be seen as a resource to them as they go about making decisions on state legislation."